


Wish You Were Here

by bansheee



Category: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: F/M, Guitars, Kissing, Music, New Year's Eve, Nick POV, Third Wheels, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 10:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11416449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bansheee/pseuds/bansheee
Summary: “Pink Floyd and pajamas; big plans tonight I see,” Nick said.Nora looked up. She already had her glasses on, and her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. It fell over her shoulder in messy curls as she repositioned her fingers. “Says the fifth wheel.”





	Wish You Were Here

Simon’s basement for New Year’s Eve was a tradition Nick and Simon had for as long as Nick could remember. Even before Leah joined their little group, they always spent the last moments of the year surrounded by relics of his and Simon’s childhood together. Everywhere he looked another memory fought its way to the front of his mind. On the shelf, there was the Charizard figurine he and Simon pooled tickets together for when they were ten. Next to it sat an old TV that they almost ruined with magnets when they were eight. There was a chip out of the tv stand from a flyaway Wii remote and a stain on the carpet by the stairs from a cherry ICEE drink.  
  
The Spier basement was normally something of a comfort to Nick, but as he sat and waited to count down the final moments of the past year, he wished he was anywhere else.  
  
Nick’s phone buzzed in his hand at the same time Abby’s gave a ding and Leah’s lit up on the table next to them. Nick watched as Abby leaned in close to Leah, touching their heads together as they both read the message on Abby’s phone.  
  
Nick ignored the twist in his stomach and read Garrett’s message on his own phone.  
  
_Dudes, we are STILL sitting in traffic in Atlanta, looks like I’ll be ringing in the new year in the car with my parents._ He followed it with three crying emojis.  
  
Nick closed out the group chat and opened a text to just Garrett.  
  
_DUDE. I’m dying here._ _  
_ _  
_ _Sorry, bro._  
  
Nick looked up. Leah’s arm was now around Abby’s waist as she typed a reply into the chat. The response of _sucks to be you, Laughlin_ appeared on Nick’s phone a moment later.  
  
Before Leah asked Abby out, he and Leah had a long discussion about it. He and Abby’s breakup was mutual, and even though he didn’t exactly have feelings for her, and it was hard to see them together at first. Sometimes he wished for the ease of friendship between he and Abby like Leah and Garrett had when they first broke up. While there were no hard feelings between he and Abby, they were nowhere near as close as they were before they started dating.  
  
Nick was happy for Leah and Abby. Mostly. It was really nice to see both of them so happy together, even if moments like this made him crave the comfort and ease of being in a relationship.  
  
“And you’ll do extra pepperoni?” Simon’s voice drifted down the stairs as his footsteps pounded on them. “Like, this needs to be covered in pepperoni to the point that you can’t see the cheese at all.” He paused for a second. “Yeah, I know it will be extra.” Another pause. “Okay, thanks.”  
  
Simon hung up his phone when he reached the bottom of the stairs, Bram on his heels. Simon took Bram’s hand and dragged him towards the basement refrigerator.  
  
“Drinks?” Simon asked over his shoulder.  
  
“Beer,” Nick said immediately, raising his hand.    
  
New to the Spier Basement New Year’s Eve Party that year was the lack of supervision. Simon’s parents got invited to a party with Simon’s dad’s work friends, and with a list of rules a mile long, left them to their own devices for the first time.  
  
Having alcohol was against one of the rules, but none of them were driving and all they could manage to get was beer, so Nick figured they weren’t even really breaking the rule.  
  
Leah and Abby both turned down beer, so Simon brought both of them Coke cans and a beer for Nick. Simon and Bram settled into the opposite end of the couch and cracked their beers simultaneously, before touching the cans together and taking drinks.  
  
“And, he’s wasted,” Leah said, making Abby laugh and Bram choke on his sip. Bram coughed while Simon made faces at all of them.  
  
Nick tapped the top of his can before cracking it open. He took a long drink, ignoring the bitter taste.  
  
With Simon and Bram back in the room it wasn’t as painfully awkward; even without alcohol Simon always managed to fill the silence with conversation. Before long, Simon filled the time with random tangents and made Nick forget he was the only one there without someone to kiss at midnight. They ate their body weight in greasy pizza, and laughed when Bram pointed out that the pizza would definitely cancel out any sort of buzz they would get from the few beers.  
  
At ten minutes to midnight, Simon’s phone went off with a reminder, and he turned on the television. None of them were interested in whatever the person hosting the New Year’s party in New York was saying, but they all watched for a bit in a post-food haze. Nick couldn’t help but notice as Abby scooted closer to Leah and Bram wrapped his arm around Simon.  
  
Nick set his beer on the coffee table. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Simon and Bram. Bram looked away from Simon.  
  
“Everything okay?” Bram was the one that was there for him the most when he and Abby broke up; even though Nick still considered Simon one of his best friends, Simon and Abby’s friendship was no match to theirs.  
  
Nick nodded to him. “I’ll be back before the ball drops,” he said, even though he had every intention against it. Bram went back to his conversation with Simon, and Nick escaped without looking at Leah and Abby. Bieber was at the top of the stairs when Nick opened the door to the basement, and he scratched his chin for a second before Bieber shot down the stairs towards the source of the noise.  
  
He couldn’t even get Simon’s dog to ring in the new year with him.  
  
Shaking his head, Nick crossed the empty living room and started up the stairs. As he got away from the noise coming from the basement he heard the unmistakable sound of Nora plucking at her guitar. Instead of turning into the bathroom at the top of the stairs, Nick walked past Simon’s room and stopped in front of Nora’s.  
  
She didn’t notice he was there, so he watched her for a minute as she plucked the chords in a slow but practiced fashion. Nick smiled when he recognized the song; he was so glad Nora had his taste in music instead of Simon’s.  
  
One of the strings slipped from Nora’s finger, making the sound wrong, and Nick watched her sigh and drop her hand.  
  
“Pink Floyd and pajamas; big plans tonight I see,” Nick said.  
  
Nora looked up. She already had her glasses on, and her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. It fell over her shoulder in messy curls as she repositioned her fingers. “Says the fifth wheel.”  
  
Nick laughed when she broke into a smile. “That’s fair,” he said. “Move your fingers up the fret a bit.”  
  
Nora rolled her eyes. “I had it perfect a second ago.”  
  
He looked around her room for a second, familiar in the same way the rest of the Spier house was. His eyes landed on her other guitar. She was using the new acoustic one her parents got her for Christmas that year; Nick went with them to help pick it out. He pointed to it. “Can I join you?”  
  
Nora chuckled, glancing up from the guitar. “Is it that bad?”  
  
“Your brother is two beers in and my ex is cuddling up to my female best friend, you tell me,” Nick said as he tossed the strap of Nora’s guitar over his shoulder. Nora laughed and gestured for him to sit at her desk chair. She started playing while Nick grabbed a pick from her desk. He waited until he could match the part she was at, and started singing along to _Wish You Were Here_ as he strummed the chords along with Nora.  
  
He closed his eyes for a second as he let himself be immersed by the sound of the guitars. He sang along with the song he knew so well, matching Nora’s pace and strumming along with her.  
  
When they got to one of the instrumental parts Nick opened his eyes and watched Nora play. Gone was the quiet student he started with all that time ago; now, Nora played the chords with a confident ease and small smile on her face. He thought about how gone he was on Abby the whole time they had lessons. How Nora was always just Simon’s little sister until he heard hear play. She looked down to the strings out of habit, even though Nick knew she could easily play without looking.  
  
At the verse the song was famous for, Nora looked up, and to Nick’s surprise she started singing with him. Pink trickled into her cheeks as she did, and Nick watched her. She didn’t have a bad voice by any means; it was high and soft and twisted together melodically with Nick’s deeper one. She finally broke into a smile as they both sang _we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,_  in perfect sync. Nick matched her smile.  
  
They faded into the instrumental part again, and Nick didn’t drop his gaze from Nora. He stopped playing. Nora’s fingers slid off the strings when Nick pushed the guitar to his side. He let his eyes fall to her lips when hers closed. With soft hands against both of her cheeks, Nick kissed her. He started slow, with just a touch that felt like hearing a new song for the first time.  
  
The chair was higher than Nora’s bed and Nick didn’t want the guitars to smash into each other, so he broke away after a second.  
  
“Hold on.”  
  
Nora said nothing. Her cheeks were pink and her mouth was open. He yanked the guitar strap over his shoulder and set it on Nora’s bed, before bringing his mouth to hers again. A small gasp came from her as soon as their lips touched again. Her hair brushed against his hand as he rested it against her cheek. He felt Nora’s lips part against his, and pushed harder against her mouth.  
  
“Bram?”  
  
Nick felt Nora jump at the same time he did. Her eyes were wide as she turned towards the hallway.  
  
“Have you guys seen Bram?” Simon asked, swaying in the doorway. Seriously, Nick had no idea how he was going to last at college.  
  
Nick looked back at Nora. She had the same worried look he knew he had. But if Simon was just looking for Bram, maybe he didn’t notice.  
  
“He isn’t downstairs?” Nick asked, his voice cracking. Simon shook his head and looked down the hall. For not the first time, Nick wished Simon could read the room just a little bit better.  
  
“Nick,” Simon said a moment later. When Nick turned to him, Simon said, “she’s had a crush on you since she was like eight.”  
  
“Simon! Go away!” With speed that intoxicated Simon couldn’t quite match, Nora threw a pillow at him. Laughter trailed through the hall as Simon ran towards the staircase.  
  
Nick looked back to Nora when he was sure Simon was gone. She was looking pointedly at the strings of her guitar.  
  
“Wanna go again?” Nick asked.  
  
Nora’s glance shot up to him. “The song?” she asked after a second.  
  
Nick grinned. “The song, or—”  
  
Watching Nora’s cheeks flush as her eyes lit up with laughter was a pretty good way to ring in the new year.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's just file this under "things Julie didn't ship two days ago and is now obsessed with" and call it good? Don't worry, I'll go back to writing Simon and Bram tomorrow. Paige gets all the thanks for listening to me ramble about Nick and Nora. [my tumblr](http://cutebramgreenfeld.tumblr.com) if you want to say hi or talk about how you didn't ship it but now you totally do.


End file.
